Donald Trump Jr. Says Mysterious Substance Sent to His Home in Florida

A hazmat team on Monday was called to Donald Trump Jr.'s home in Jupiter, Florida, after he said he received a mysterious white powder inside an envelope in the mail, according to reports.

Trump Jr., eldest son of former President Donald Trump, confirmed the reports with conservative media outlet The Daily Caller, saying, "It's just become a little bit too commonplace that this sort of stuff happens."

"It doesn't matter what your politics are, this type of crap is unacceptable," he added.

A spokesperson for Trump Jr. told Axios that tests to identify the substance were "inconclusive," adding that officials "do not believe it is deadly." The incident was first reported by The Daily Beast.

Newsweek reached out to The Trump Organization via email for further information Monday night.

The Context

This is the second time that a mysterious powder has been sent to Trump Jr. In February 2018, during his father's presidency, a similar envelope was opened by his then-wife Vanessa Trump in a New York City apartment. Authorities later arrested and charged a man from Beverly, Massachusetts, in the incident. The substance was found to be non-hazardous.

According to Trump Jr.'s younger brother, Eric Trump, every family member of the former president had received a package with a mysterious white substance as of August 2018.

What We Know

Speaking with The Daily Caller, Trump Jr. insinuated that the mysterious powder had been sent to his home Monday by "radical haters on the left."

"Clearly, if this happened to a prominent Democrat, it wouldn't be tolerated and would drive news coverage for weeks. The media would blame all Republicans and force them to answer for it, but since it's me, radical haters on the left will largely get a free pass and the media will barely flinch."

Trump Jr. added, "It's just sad that we live in a society where politics and the left's hatred of my father would drive people to do such crazy things, but that's where we are unfortunately."

Views

Many users on social media expressed concern for Trump Jr. and his family. Ryan Fournier, conservative activist and co-founder of the organization Students for Trump, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Glad you guys are okay."

Social media personality Brian Krassenstein—who in 2019 got banned from Twitter after he and his twin brother, Ed, broke the site's terms of service while running multiple anti-Trump accounts—also wrote in a post to X, "THIS IS NEVER OK!"

"There is no excuse for behavior like this, whether it's Don Jr, Hunter Biden or any human being for that matter," Krassenstein added.

Similar threats have targeted Democrats and other public officials in the past. In November, the Justice Department told CNN that it was investigating reports of suspicious substances that had been sent to election officials in several states, including Georgia, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. Some of the envelopes contained the toxic drug fentanyl, according to a report from The New York Times.

What's Next?

A spokesperson for the Palm Beach Country Sheriff's Office told Politico that it was assisting the Secret Service in the investigation. Newsweek reached out to the sheriff's office via email late Monday night for more information.

Update 02/26/24, 9:45 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.